Filter material



April 2, 1968l H. L. SHAW y `FILTER MATERIAL Filed July 1, 1965 Fig. 5

. zo g//Vl/fA/TOAJ 'BVS n United States Patent O 3,375,920 FILTER MATERIAL Herman L. Shaw, 5333 Collins Ave., Miami, Beach, Fla. 33140 Filed July 1, 1966, Ser. No. 562,217 6 Claims. (Cl. 206-78) The present invention relates to a packaging means for a cigarette filter.

The present invention is designed for use with a wide variety of cigarette filters, but finds particular utility when used in conjunction with disposable cigarette filters having an aromatic or vaporiz-able content. Such cigarette filters lose their efficiency when the aromatic or vaporizable content is exposed to air for prolonged periods. Heretofore disposable filters have been packaged in foil and other similar materials. These materials are highly susceptible to formation of minute hardly visible pin holes `through which the moisture content of the filter may vaporize. This has often necessitated the use of excess moisture in the filter to compensate for loss through vaporization during shelf life. Unfortunately such excess moisture often disperses on the outside of the filter while in the foil container, thus rendering the filter wet to the touch when the foil container is opened. Consequently it is desirable to provide a suitable sealing means for such filters which encapsulate the filters until ready for use. Since these filters must often be made and sold quite inexpensively the sealing means must not be elaborate or expensive. It must also be easily disposable or removable from the filter.

The present invention provides a combination sealing and packaging means for a disposable cigarette filter which attains the foregoing objectives.

The present invention also provides an improved cigarette filter packaging means which incorporates individual sanitary encapsulations or covers for each lter mouthpiece.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved cigarette filter packaging means for containing a plurality of individually sealed disposable cigarette filters which may be individually removed from the packaging means, or opened without exposing to air the contents of the other packaged filters.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved means for packaging disposable filters with uniform moisture content that are not likely to be too dry or too wet.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide fa packaging means for individual disposable cigarette filters which is compact, easy to store and easy to display.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 isa fragmentary plan view of a packaging means embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear view taken from the side opposite that shown in FIG. l,

FIG. 4 is a side view of a disposable filter of the type packaged in the packaging means of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and embodying the sealing elements of the invention, and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional fragmentary view taken along the line 5 5 of FIG. 1.

The packaging means illustrated in the present invention may be used with a variety of disposable Cigarette filters, but preferably it is used in connection with water im pregnated cigarette filters of the type illustrated in United States Patent No. 3,137,303. These filters contain a 3,375,920 Patented Apr. 2,. 1968 fibrous material preimpregnfated with water. The filters best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 are formed with an elongated casing 10 of plastic material terminating in a tapered mouthpiece 11 fat one end and an annular cigarette tip receiving end 12 at the other end. A cylindrical metal sleeve 13 having an outwardly fiared lip 14 is positioned within the wall 12 with the sleeve 13 in frictional engagement with the wall 12 and with the lip 14 engaging :a lip 15 of the wall 12. The diameter of sleeve 13 is proportioned to receive a cigarette. Water impregnated fibrous material 13A, FIG. 5, is contained between the ends and within the walls of the filter.

The cigarette tip receiving end 12 is closed with a cap 16 having continuous sidewall 17 closed at the bottom by an integrally continuous dome-like bottom 18. The upper edge of the sidewall 17 is outwardly arcuately flared to form a lip 19. The arcuately shaped lip 19 is spaced from lip 14 to form an annular recess 20 of sufiicient dimension to permit one to insert a fingernail -between these two lips for removal of the cap 16. The cap is formed of a suitable substantially gas impervious plastic material having sufiicient fiexibility and resilience to permit insertion and removal of the cap with relative ease. Thus a suitable plastic may be a polyethylene material.

The mouthpiece end 11 of the filter is ycovered ywith a removable covering 20 formed of a film of tearable plasticized material. The covering 20 is formed with sides 21 and end 22 with the sides 21 engaging the outer surface of the casing 10 and the end 22 covering the extreme tip of the mouthpiece through which the smoke drawing aperture (not shown) extends. The removable covering 2U is formed by suitable means such as dipping the mouthpiece end of the casing into plasticized solution a sufficient distance to form a film over the mouthpiece end sidewall from the tip to a point at which the `circumference of the mouthpiece is less than the circumference of the mouthpiece adjacent the tip. The plasticized material may be any suitable material provided it forms a nontoxic tearable or removable thin film over a range of ambient temperatures. Preferably such film is flexible and rubberlike in consistency. It may be formed of a commercial plasticized material such as Thermi Cote N4 which is principally a mixture of cellulose acetate butyrate and dioctyl phthalate material.

The individually sealed filters substantially encapsulate the fluid bearing fiber materials, thus assuring relatively long life and uniformity of contents for the filters even when removed from the packaging means.

The packaging means for the individual filters comprise a backing sheet 30 preferably of cardboard or the like covered with a vacuum formed transparent covering 31 of plastic material. The backing sheet 30 is preferably formed with cuts 32 forming a series of parallel rectangles 34, 34, etc., each sized in width and length slightly more than the corresponding dimensions of the disposable filters. The uppermost rectangle 34 is formed with a half moon cut adapted to permit finger engagement of the rectangle 34 for its removal.

The covering 31 as illustrated, is formed with a peripheral annular flange 35 suitably sealed to the face of backing sheet 30. Projecting from the backing sheet 30 and flange 35 is a series of semidefined compartments 36 each having a semicircular cross section, as illustrated in FIG. 2, with the compartments integrally formed at adjacent edges. The sides of the compartments are closed by sidewalls 37. The compartments have adjacent edges 38 extending toward backing sheet 30 a sufficient distance to maintain packaged filters 10 in each compartment separate from each other even when the package is opened and one or more filters removed.

If desired the backing sheet may be formed with a hole 39 for supporting the package on a display pin.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A cigarette holder construction comprising a plastic casing having an open mouthpiece end and an open cylindrical cigarette tip receiving end, a fluid impregnated fibrous mass positioned within said casing,

a removable cap for said open cylindrical cigarette receiving end having sidewalls adapted to engage the sidewall of said receiving end, and

a removable covering for said open mouthpiece end comprising a film of tearable plastic material.

2. A cigarette holder construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said removable cap sidewalls fit in frictional engagement with the inner surface of the sidewalls of said cylindrical end, and said removable covering has sides and an end with the sides engaging the outer surface of said casing sidewall and the end covering the extreme tip of said mouthpiece end.

3. A cigarette holder construction as set forth in claim 2 wherein said cap is formed with a laterally extending lip at its end with said lip overlying said cylindrical cigarette receiving end and said removable covering having a circumference about its sides greater adjacent said end of said removable covering than remote therefrom.

4. A cigarette holder as set forth in claim 3 wherein said cap is formed of a flexible plastic material with said cap sidewalls continuous with a bottom and with said cap sidewalls and bottom having an arcuate cross sectional configuration.

5. A cigarette holder as set forth in claim 4 wherein said removable covering is formed of plasticized film.

6. A cigarette holder as set forth in claim 1 comprising a plurality of said holders arranged parallel to each other and positioned on a sheet formed with a plurality of adjacent rectangular perforations each conforming in dimensions to at least the outer dimensions of said holder with one set of rectangular perforations underlying each of said holders, and a plastic transparent window secured at its periphery to said sheet and covering said holders.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,728,474 9/1929 BroSiuS 20641 2,945,586 7/1960 Mackes 206-78 3,325,000 6/1967 Edwards 206-41 X MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CIGARETTE HOLDER CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A PLASTIC CASING HAVING AN OPEN MOUTHPIECE END AND AN OPEN CYLINDRICAL CIGARETTE TIP RECEIVING END, A FLUID IMPREGNATED FIBROUS MASS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CASING, A REMOVABLE CAP FOR SAID OPEN CYLINDRICAL CIGARETTE RECEIVING END HAVING SIDEWALLS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE SIDEWALL OF SAID RECEIVING END, AND A REMOVABLE COVERING FOR SAID OPEN MOUTHPIECE END COMPRISING A FILM OF TEARABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL. 